When comparing LiveReload vs Ghostlab, the Slant community recommends LiveReload for most people. In the question“What are the best cross-browser live-update / synchronization tools?”LiveReload is ranked 3rd while Ghostlab is ranked 4th. The most important reason people chose LiveReload is:

LiveReload supports LESS, SASS, Compass, Stylus, CoffeeScript, IcedCoffeeScript, Eco, SLIM, HAML and Jade out of the box. It instantly compiles them and puts the compiled files in the specified folder.

Pros

Pro

Great bundled compilers

LiveReload supports LESS, SASS, Compass, Stylus, CoffeeScript, IcedCoffeeScript, Eco, SLIM, HAML and Jade out of the box. It instantly compiles them and puts the compiled files in the specified folder.

Pro

Works with most modern browsers

Pro

CSS injection

Once the monitored .css file is saved, changes are implemented without a refresh.

Pro

Can be used without additional software on any browser

Doesn't need any additional software or browser extensions to be installed on any device. If every device is pointed to the IP address that it provides it will automatically reload that page on every file change.

Pro

Testing page preset with a lot of useful information

Ghostlab offers a testing page which when opened displays a lot of useful information. Such as, but not limited to: viewport width and height, user agent string, pixel ratio etc...

Pro

Synchronizes scrolls, clicks, reloads and form input across all connected clients

Every time the page is reloaded on a device, it's automatically reloaded on every other device connected. It also registers scrolls, form inputs and clicks across different devices and automatically synchronizes them to each connected device.

Pro

Cross-browser and cross-device live reloading

Ghostlab offers developers the opportunity to test their site in multiple browsers and devices at the same time. Once the Ghostlab server is deployed, it offers an IP address running on port 8080 which automatically reloads on every file change.

Pro

Easy setup

Setting up GhostLab is very easy, by simply dragging a URL or a local folder it creates automatically a new site entry and is ready to work.

It can then be named or choose the specified file extensions that need to be watched.

Pro

Remote inspection of code on different devices.

Ghostlab utilizes weinre, an open-source remote debugger to remotely inspect the code on different devices. By double clicking the device name that needs to be inspected, and clicking the 'Debug' button, Ghostlab opens a Chrome inspector which can inspect any item in the page of the device and manipulate the CSS and HTML.

Cons

Con

To use it, a code snippet or an extension to the browser needs to be added

To use LiveReload, a code snippet needs to be added inside the view, or an extension to be installed to the browser(s) of choice. While it's not too much work, it can be a hassle and a deal-breaker for some people.

Con

No Linux version

Ghostlab is available only for Windows and Mac, there is no Linux version. At least for the time being.

Con

Not free

Ghostlab is proprietary and not free. It costs $49. Though there is a free 7-days trial.